diff --git a/data/comms.json b/data/comms.json
index 0095637..bb4988b 100644
--- a/data/comms.json
+++ b/data/comms.json
@@ -586,6 +586,11 @@
       "dim": "#7d92c4",
       "faint": "#3d4c74",
       "amber": "#ffc94d"
+    },
+    "combat": {
+      "$comment": "In-combat 'visual' comms: the box sheds to a video-only plate hugging the screen's right edge (the hub's compact hook — GameScene passes it when combat is live). scale = the clip's size as a fraction of videoSize; margin = px from the screen's right edge.",
+      "scale": 0.667,
+      "margin": 16
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/js/comms/CommsHub.js b/js/comms/CommsHub.js
index cac2df5..869d6f6 100644
--- a/js/comms/CommsHub.js
+++ b/js/comms/CommsHub.js
@@ -77,6 +77,12 @@ export class CommsHub {
    *                                       the ACKNOWLEDGE press itself —
    *                                       scene bookkeeping that rides on
    *                                       a comm being acknowledged)
+   *   compact?: (comm: object) => boolean,
+   *                                the comm should play in the compact
+   *                                (video-only) form — the box's small
+   *                                right-edge plate (the in-combat 'visual'
+   *                                call is the scene's; it passes the comm
+   *                                about to start)
    *   onAck?: (comm: object) => void,    an 'ack' comm was ACKNOWLEDGED —
    *                                       the press itself, fired BEFORE
    *                                       onEnd for the same def (so the
@@ -102,6 +108,7 @@ export class CommsHub {
     this.onStart = typeof o.onStart === 'function' ? o.onStart : null;
     this.onEnd = typeof o.onEnd === 'function' ? o.onEnd : null;
     this.onAck = typeof o.onAck === 'function' ? o.onAck : null;
+    this.compact = typeof o.compact === 'function' ? o.compact : null;
 
     this.queue = []; // { def, dueAt, assets, loadingDone }
     this.current = null; // the comm in play (its def)
@@ -284,6 +291,17 @@ export class CommsHub {
       const video = entry.assets.video && _hasVideo(s, entry.assets.video.key)
         ? { key: entry.assets.video.key }
         : null;
+      // The compact (video-only) form — the scene's call (the in-combat
+      // 'visual' comms in GameScene). A failing hook falls back to the
+      // full box, never to no box.
+      let compact = false;
+      if (this.compact) {
+        try {
+          compact = !!this.compact(def);
+        } catch (e) {
+          console.warn('[comms] compact hook failed', e);
+        }
+      }
       this.box = new CommsBox(s, this._anchor(), {
         label: char.label ?? def.from,
         role: char.role ?? '',
@@ -292,6 +310,7 @@ export class CommsHub {
         video,
         showAck: def.type === 'ack',
         onAck: () => this._ack(),
+        compact,
       });
       this.box.open();
     }
diff --git a/js/scenes/GameScene.js b/js/scenes/GameScene.js
index b71d64b..1f50b56 100644
--- a/js/scenes/GameScene.js
+++ b/js/scenes/GameScene.js
@@ -1385,6 +1385,12 @@ export class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
         if (!hud) return null;
         return { right: this.scale.width - hud.pad, top: hud.barY + hud.barH };
       },
+      // IN-COMBAT 'visual' comms take the compact form: the box's small
+      // video-only plate hugging the right edge of the screen (2/3-size
+      // clip, no text) — the battlefield stays clear while the video and
+      // the voice still play. 'ack' comms keep the full box (they need
+      // the words + the ACKNOWLEDGE button).
+      compact: (def) => def?.type === 'visual' && !!(this.combat && this.combat.active),
       // The ack pause's scene-side effects: the action holds — the ship
       // parks dead (target + throttle cleared, velocity zeroed) and the
       // mining arm drops. Resuming needs no work (the ship stays parked;
diff --git a/js/ui/CommsBox.js b/js/ui/CommsBox.js
index 663414d..6271213 100644
--- a/js/ui/CommsBox.js
+++ b/js/ui/CommsBox.js
@@ -65,7 +65,17 @@ export class CommsBox extends Phaser.GameObjects.Container {
    *   video: {key:string}|null,   the sender's cached clip (null → NO SIGNAL plate)
    *   showAck: boolean,      the ACKNOWLEDGE button (ack comms)
    *   onAck: () => void,     the button press (the hub finishes the comm)
+   *   compact: boolean,      the IN-COMBAT 'visual' form (see below)
    * }} spec
+   *
+   * COMPACT MODE (in-combat 'visual' comms — spec.compact): the box sheds
+   * everything but the clip — no header, no text, no button — and docks
+   * as a small plate hugging the RIGHT edge of the screen, vertically
+   * centered, its clip at box.combat.scale (2/3) of the normal videoSize.
+   * The goal: the combat battlefield stays as unobstructed as possible
+   * while the comm's video still shows. The clip is still muted (the
+   * voice is the hub's speech clip — the project's video rule, unchanged);
+   * the box just stops showing the words.
    */
   constructor(scene, anchor, spec) {
     super(scene, 0, 0);
@@ -101,6 +111,7 @@ export class CommsBox extends Phaser.GameObjects.Container {
     this.inMs = Math.max(0, anim.inMs ?? 260);
     this.outMs = Math.max(0, anim.outMs ?? 420);
 
+    this.compact = spec.compact === true;
     this.onAck = typeof spec.onAck === 'function' ? spec.onAck : null;
     this.showAck = spec.showAck === true;
     this.loopVideo = spec.loop === true; // the clip loops silently (ack) or plays once (visual)
@@ -118,6 +129,29 @@ export class CommsBox extends Phaser.GameObjects.Container {
     this._ringA = null;
     this._ringB = null;
 
+    // ---- compact (in-combat) form — video only, hugging the right ----
+    // The clip at box.combat.scale of the normal videoSize, in a plate
+    // of just its frame: the battlefield keeps the rest of the screen.
+    // No header, no text, no decode, no button — the hub still plays
+    // the voice over it, and the open/close paths are the same as the
+    // full box.
+    if (this.compact) {
+      const c = boxCfg.combat ?? {};
+      this.videoSize = Math.max(40, Math.round(this.videoSize * (c.scale ?? 2 / 3)));
+      this.W = this.pad * 2 + this.videoSize;
+      this.H = this.pad * 2 + this.videoSize;
+      const sw = this.scene.scale?.width ?? 1280;
+      const sh = this.scene.scale?.height ?? 720;
+      const m = c.margin ?? 16;
+      this.finalX = sw - m - this.W;
+      this.finalY = Math.round(sh / 2 - this.H / 2); // the screen's right-mid line
+      this.setPosition(this.finalX, this.finalY - 16); // the same 16px slide-in
+      this.setAlpha(0);
+      this._buildBackplate();
+      this._buildVideoPanel(this.pad); // the clip, contain-fit as always
+      return; // no header / text / button / pulse in this form
+    }
+
     const fam = fontStack('body');
 
     // ---- measure the text (its height sizes the box) ------------------
@@ -428,8 +462,10 @@ export class CommsBox extends Phaser.GameObjects.Container {
   // the hub's handles
   // ------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-  /** The comm's words decoding in (the hub calls this once, at open). */
+  /** The comm's words decoding in (the hub calls this once, at open).
+   *  A no-op in the compact form (no text object — the clip carries it). */
   beginText() {
+    if (!this.text) return;
     const dur = decodeDur(this._textValue.length);
     this._decT0 = this.scene.time.now;
     this._dec = new ScrambleDecode(this._textValue, this._decT0, dur);
@@ -448,9 +484,12 @@ export class CommsBox extends Phaser.GameObjects.Container {
     }
   }
 
-  /** The voice is live / done — the header dot pulses while it talks. */
+  /** The voice is live / done — the header dot pulses while it talks.
+   *  The compact form has no dot (no header): the state is noted and
+   *  that's all it is for. */
   setVoice(on) {
     this.voiceOn = !!on;
+    if (!this.dot) return;
     if (this._dotTween) {
       this._dotTween.stop();
       this._dotTween = null;